12th Strike
Media

Combat in the Cage offers high-level MMA at budget cost

Philadelphia-based organization within reach of Shore fight fans

The options for major sporting events are certainly limited here on the Eastern Shore, but with three major cities inside a few hours drive, sports fans actually have plenty of professional and amateur options to grab their attention.
Well, the best live event I've witnessed yet, including my four years as a sports reporter for The Star Democrat happened Saturday night in Newark, Del.
Combat in the Cage's 12th Strike showcased how exciting, sudden and yes, brutal, the sport of mixed martial arts can be, as 13-of-15 fights ended by knockout or submission inside a crowded Newark Boy's and Girl's Club gym. Sixteen different MMA training camps were represented and three amateur CITC Championship belts were on the line, as fighters showcased striking skills like boxing and muy thai along with wrestling and the grappling trump card, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Things even got testy late in the card as solid middleweights Charlie Joseph and Jesus Martinez battled to a controversial ending in their CITC championship bout.
Joseph, a calm 29-year old originally from Manila, now trains at the Renzo Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in New York. Martinez fights out of Philadelphia's Fight Factory, and came in as the defending champ, along with a huge contingent of fans who made the quick trip down I-95.
They were loud early, as Martinez put Joseph on his back and rained down with punches. Martinez eventually got the full mount, but Joseph quickly rolled over to let his foe take his back before pulling off a slick reversal. Joseph bucked underneath as Martinez was high on his back, and from there took control; Joseph trapped the fan-favorite up against the cage then landed solid shots to likely take the round 10-9.
Excited fans soon became disappointed, however, as one of Joseph's right hands had opened a huge gash over Martinez's left eye, and the cage side physician wouldn't allow the champ to continue. Joseph celebrated by screaming at the Philly fighter's crowd, but was laid back afterwards despite initially not receiving his CITC title belt; Martinez had inexplicably taken it back to the locker room upon hearing the official announcement.
"I train with pit bulls every day," explained Joseph, who began fighting in amateur events in November but is already 6-0, while also holding down a full-time job.
CITC's hard-working promoter Ed Hsu has already said the two will meet again soon, since no one was satisfied with the outcome. Hsu also served as matchmaker, timekeeper and announcer, and should be credited with piecing together a card that gave fans their money's worth.
Martinez's brother, Will, submitted Juan Contrerez by triangle choke in the second round to retain the CITC Interim Lightweight title. Millville, N.J. cruiserweight Tim Williams, who has been completely dominant both times I've seen him, again displayed powerful wrestling, strong striking and quick transitions to dispatch Kyle Braun by guillotine choke in round two of their CITC 195-lb. championship showdown.
The night's most thrilling moment, and I do mean "moment", was Joe Pond's MMA debut. Pond trains out of Warriors Martial Arts in Pennsylvania, and in a 135-lb. bout against Chris Be he made quite an impression. Pond immediately opened the fight with a spin kick, then landed a solid front kick as Be tried to close the distance for a takedown.
On Be's next charge, Pond, a stocky 23-year old who looks more suited to wrestling than striking, made him pay with a right hook to the jaw that ended the scrap after just 10 seconds. Be laid on the mat before being helped to his feet, and Pond had what he was looking for, sort of.
"I wasn't expecting this," stated Pond. "I was just trying to feel him out, and I saw the opening for the right."
His Warriors MA teammate, 17-year old Pat Sabatini, similarly dominated Lance Umholtz in a 135-lb. fight, forcing a referee stoppage just 2:23 in to remain unbeaten in amateur events. Hsu quickly announced that Sabatini, a high school junior, will next fight for the CITC bantamweight number-one contender spot.
Former college wrestler Matt Andrikut recorded a first-round knockout at 195-lbs., before Tim Sylvester put on a BJJ clinic to overcome Frank Piff's edge in size and strength. In just over a minute, the 157-lb. BJJ brown belt ran two arm-bar attempts, the first of which nearly finished Piff, before locking in a triangle choke to get the win.
In the main event, a professional light heavyweight clash, Joseph Stirling of 302 BJJ took some punishment on the feet early from Fight Factory's Derek Hopkins, only to change the momentum with a big knee to the head. Stirling continued to land with strikes and, once he gained a knockdown and the mount, he unloaded on the tiring Hopkins to get the stoppage.
It was an appropriate way to finish the card, with a first-round TKO. To me, a live MMA event reveals boxing to be simply a drawn-out exhibition of hand striking skills, nothing more.
That's what most MMA fans rely on, the sudden-change aspect of the sport. This isn't boxing, where two guys circle, circle then throw a few punches before clinching for 12 rounds.
Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya, two great boxers, combined for one of the most boring fights ever. Compare that snoozer to the eight-minute war between Don Frye and Yoshihiro Takayama, which doesn't represent all MMA bouts but is certainly a contrast (Google it to see what I'm talking about). Heck, try watching Chuck Liddell versus Wanderlei Silva, a three-round slugfest that went down in December of 2007.
MMA fights can end at any time, on the feet, the ground or even against the cage, and more closely resemble a one-on-one combat situation than "The Sweet Science". And that's coming from a lifelong boxing fan, I used to pen columns praising Bernard Hopkins' defensive style for this paper. Now my feelings about boxing versus MMA can be summarized by a line from Denzel Washington's character in 'Training Day':
"This ain't checkers, it's chess!"
If you want to see for yourself, and have $30 for the ticket with the desire to drive around an hour, then make the trip to Newark for Combat in the Cage's 13th Strike on June 21. You won't be disappointed.